Ten Year's Time
by Lisa B
Summary: AU Carby fic stemming from the events of Rampage ... Abby tells Carter to call her in 10 years if they're both single. Part 4 now up -- please r/r!
1. Walk Away

TITLE: Ten Year's Time  
AUTHOR: Lisa Brown, ERDrLewis@aol.com  
PART: 1, Walk Away.  
ARCHIVE: ask and ye shall receive. Archived at my site, http://er.shh.nu  
CATEGORY: Carter/Abby  
RATING: PG, but later parts may have a harsher rating.  
SPOILERS: "Rampage" and before.  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I haven't written anything in forever. Please give some feedback. =) This part is really short, but it's just a setup for part two. Inspiration? "If We Could Start Over" by Celine Dion. Words will be used at a later date. =)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, I'm not making money off of this, so everyone at Warner Bros. and their whole menagerie of people over there can just leave me alone.   
  
Ten Year's Time: Part 1, Walk Away.  
by Lisa Brown  
  
###  
Carter walked into the lounge, prepared to get his stuff and promptly leave. But, there seemed to be someone in his way.   
  
"Aren't you supposed to be at home?" he angrily shot at her. He hadn't meant to be that angry.   
  
She winced from his harsh tone. "I was hoping we could go somewhere and talk."  
  
"Abby, I thought I had made it clear I wasn't interested in talking anymore?"  
  
She looked into his eyes. "Please," she pleaded. "Just this once. Then I'll leave you alone. Promise."  
  
He sighed and grabbed his stuff out of his locker. "Where to?"  
###  
He stirred cream into the cup of coffee sitting before him. "So," he simply said.  
  
"I just wanted to say a few things. OK?" Abby looked up from her cup of coffee.  
  
"Shoot."  
  
"I'm ... sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to be harping on you about Luka. You don't deserve that." She added a pack of sugar to her coffee. She took a sip and made an awful face.  
  
If they were in a different situation, Carter would consider laughing. "Abby, I think you're missing the point."  
  
"I never said I was done talking," Abby said, adding another pack of sugar. "Carter ... if things were different ...."  
  
"If things were different, we wouldn't be having this conversation," he said matter-of-factly.   
  
"Carter!" Abby said, exasperated. "I--I don't know what you want me to say. Call me in ten years if we're both single?!?"  
  
Carter gave her a look signifying that he did not find that funny. "I want you to say, 'Luka's not doing it for me, could you tell from everything I say to you,' but I don't expect you to. Because you haven't admitted it to yourself yet. But, I can't be your friend anymore. It might be selfish, it might be abrupt, but I don't want to be your friend. At least not right now. I'll let you know if that changes."   
  
He got his wallet out of his pocket and put two dollars down from his coffee. "Good-bye, Abby."  
  
She threw her hands up, irritated. They were still at square one.  
###  
Carter lay in bed that night, restless. He couldn't sleep. 'Well,' he thought to himself, 'you made your bed, now lie in it.'  
  
A smile crossed his face. He *was* lying in his bed. But, alone.  
  
It was his fault. When Rena broke up with him, he could have made a better case. Sure, he denied he had no feelings for Abby, but not as ardently as he could have. And what was he thinking when he thought he would even have a chance with Abby?  
  
'Call me in ten years if we're both single.' Ha.   
###  
"Abby, are you feeling alright?"  
  
She rolled over when she heard his deep voice whisper her name. "Wha?"  
  
"Are you feeling okay. You've been quiet all night."  
  
"I'm fine," she simply said, rolling back over.  
  
"Is this about earlier? Because I'm really sorry--"  
  
"Luka, it's fine. I'm just tired, okay?"  
  
He must have sensed the irritation in her voice, because he didn't say another word all night. Which was what Abby wanted. Time to think.  
  
She hadn't wanted her conversation with Carter to end that way. Oh, well, he would get over it. What could she do? She liked him, but not enough to break up with Luka for him. Even though she complained about him, Luka was much more receptive than he had been in the beginning. Little squabbles were normal in a relationship, right? And he was just doing what he thought was best. Although it made her rethink med school once again.  
  
Carter would come around, she told herself. He just needed time.  
###  
End P.1  
### 


	2. Things Held Inside

TITLE: Ten Year's Time  
AUTHOR: Lisa Brown, ERDrLewis@aol.com  
PART: 2, Things Held Inside.  
ARCHIVE: ask and ye shall receive. Archived at my site, http://er.shh.nu  
CATEGORY: Carter/Abby  
RATING: PG-13, but later parts may have a harsher rating.  
SPOILERS: "Rampage" and before.  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I haven't written anything in forever. Please give some feedback. =) This part is really short, but it's just a setup for part two. Inspiration? "If We Could Start Over" by Celine Dion. Words are used at the end. =)  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, I'm not making money off of this, so everyone at Warner Bros. and their whole menagerie of people over there can just leave me alone.   
  
Ten Year's Time: Part 2, Things Held Inside.  
by Lisa Brown  
  
June 2, 2010  
###  
Carter looked up to see his wife standing there, scantily clad in her white bathrobe.   
  
"Jamie?"  
  
"Mhmm. Looks like you're ready for bed," she whispered.  
  
Carter was quite confused. She wasn't supposed to be here, he knew that, but he couldn't quite place why. But, he pushed that thought to the back of his mind, because he knew he had not been seduced in quite some time. And he quite liked it. "C'mere." He pulled her on top of him and passionately kissed her.   
  
He was kissing her neck, when he heard her say "Daddy?"  
  
*Oh, she wants to talk dirty,* he thought. *Well, we can have that.*  
  
"Daddy?"  
  
Carter shot up in bed. Only a dream. Had it come to that now? He looked towards the doorway to see a little girl standing in it.  
  
"What's wrong, honey? Bad dream?"  
  
The little girl nodded her head. Carter patted the empty space next to him and she clambered into it.  
  
"Do you want to tell me about it?"  
  
"No," the six-year-old replied, settling in.  
  
After a few moments of silence, she said, "Daddy? I miss Mommy."  
  
"I know honey. I do too."  
###  
*Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Tha-thump.*  
  
Carter opened his eyes to see two children jumping on the other side of the bed.  
  
"Hi Daddy!" the now-cheerful little girl said.  
  
"I told you it would only take three jumps," the boy said.   
  
"Jason! Melina! What did I tell you about jumping on the bed?"  
  
"That we shouldn't do it." The two squealed with laughter.  
  
"Alright, you two, time to get ready. Aren't you going shopping with Gamma today?" Carter told them with a twinkle in his eye.  
  
"Oh yeah! Jason, we have to be good so we get a present!" Melina whispered loudly, grabbing his hand.  
  
Carter chuckled to himself and began to get ready for work.  
###  
"Daddy, I want to shave too!" Jason said, walking into the bathroom.  
  
"Ah ... okay, but you have to promise me something."  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"You'll never, ever, ever shave without Daddy, okay? Four-year-old boys aren't supposed to shave, so you have to make sure Daddy's here so you won't get hurt. Promise?"  
  
"Promise!!"  
  
Carter reached up and grabbed the protective plastic cap for his razor. He placed it on the disposable razor so Jason wouldn't get cut.  
  
"We have to use the whipped cream too!"  
  
"It's shaving cream, and it doesn't taste good like whipped cream. So, be sure not to eat any," Carter warned as he sprayed a little bit into Jason's hands. Jason, seizing the opportunity, slathered the cream all over his face. Carter laughed. "I don't think we should shave up there, buddy," he said, pointing to his forehead.  
  
"Daddy!" Melina shouted, rushing into the bathroom. "Gamma says if you don't come down for breakfast now, you're going to be in trouble."  
  
"Okay, buddy, we'll have to shave later," Carter said, wiping the shaving cream off of Jason's face. "Now go downstairs and stall for me for a little while while I get dressed."  
  
"Okay," the little boy said, running out of the room.  
  
"Daddy, how much longer are we going to stay with Gamma and Grampa?" Melina asked.  
  
"I don't know, honey. At least until the end of the summer. Why? Don't you like staying here?"  
  
"I like Gamma but ... Grandpa's kind of not nice."  
  
Carter sighed. He and his father had always had disagreements, but he thought they were getting along better. "Was he mean to you, Mel?"  
  
"No. He's just not very nice."  
  
Carter smiled. "It's just been a long time since he's had kids in the house. He'll get better, I promise." He made a mental note to ask his father about it when he got home. "But Grampa's gone for the rest of the week, so that'll be okay, right?"  
  
Melina smiled. "Yep. You better get dressed before Gamma gets mad." And with that she ran downstairs.  
###  
"Hey Carter. How are you?"  
  
Carter looked up to see Abby Lockhart pouring a cup of coffee. "Okay, I suppose. Can you pour me a cup of that?"  
  
"Sure. We haven't been able to talk in a while. Anything new?" she asked as she got out another coffee cup.  
  
"Not really," Carter said, shutting his locker and accepting the cup of steaming coffee Abby was offering him. "Who else is on?" he asked, trying to change the subject so he wouldn't bore Abby with the details of his life.  
  
"Umm ... Shane, Brandon, Johnson. Some nurses. I'm not really sure." She frowned. It sounded like something was up with Carter. Something he didn't want to talk about.  
  
"Good job, chief," Carter said, smiling at her.  
  
"Hey! Well, I'll never be as good as you were," she said, feeling her cheeks turn pink.  
  
"You just have to get used to it. I was just kidding, you know."  
  
"Yeah, by the time I get good, Romano'll find a replacement." She smiled at him. "C'mon, we better get out there. For all I know, we're the only two on."  
  
Carter laughed and followed her out.  
###  
"Carter, can you get the girl in three? She fell out of a tree," Abby said.  
  
"Sure, Dr. Seuss," Carter said grabbing the chart.  
  
Abby smiled. "Hey, what's this I hear about you having a birthday on Friday and not coming to work?"  
  
Carter grimaced. "Bad rumor. I'm taking my kids to the zoo." He walked off to curtain three.  
  
"Hi there, Kim, I'm Dr. Carter. Sounds like you had some trouble with a tree."  
  
"I fell out. My arm hurts," she said.  
  
"Alright, I'll take a look. You're a brave girl for not crying. You must be Mrs. Burton," Carter said, addressing the woman with the girl.  
  
"Yes. She was playing in the tree with some friends and I told them to get down. That's when she fell. She thinks she's invincible."  
  
"Why's that?" Carter asked, examining her arm.  
  
"I'm not sick anymore," Kim said matter-of-factly.  
  
"She's been in remission from leukemia for about 5 months now."  
  
Leukemia. His brother's killer. His wife's killer. But, he put on a smiling face. "That's wonderful. You're a fighter, I can tell. How old are you?"  
  
"Seven. Ouch, that hurts," she said as Carter tried to bend her arm.  
  
Seven. His daughter's age. "Well, it's looks broken. We'll send you up for some x-rays and look at them when you get back to see what we have to do, okay?"  
  
"Cool."  
  
"Let me or one of the nurses know if we can get you anything," he told Mrs. Burton. He gave her a smile and walked out of the curtain.   
###  
"Long day, eh?" Abby said as she walked into the lounge to see Carter sitting on the couch.  
  
"Yeah. I'm off in five minutes, thank god."   
  
"Me too. The morning actually wasn't that bad, everything just piled up a little while ago. It seems to be slowing now." She walked over and poured herself a cup of coffee. "So, you won't admit that Friday's you're birthday?"  
  
Carter took a sip of coffee and tried not to grimace. Not only his birthday was on Friday, but his fortieth. He didn't feel like he was supposed to be forty. "Don't you have files or something that can confirm that? Or are you going to make me say it?"  
  
"Nah, I'll take that as a yes. So, big day planned? You took the whole day off."  
  
"Not really. I seriously am going to the zoo with my kids. Nothing like caged up animals and greasy food to celebrate with. Then we're having dinner with my mother, which isn't unusual, seeing as we do that every night."  
  
"That's it? Come on. A little bird told me this was a big birthday too." Abby grinned at him.  
  
Carter smiled back. "Oh, but I'm in denial about that part."  
  
Abby had missed their conversations over the past few months. "How about when we get off, we go get a cup of coffee?"  
  
Carter held up his cup in the direction toward hers. "Aren't we already doing that?"  
  
*Oh, great, Abby, say something stupid, why don't you.* She could feel her cheeks getting pink again. God, she was acting like a ditzy high schooler.  
  
Carter laughed at her reaction. "No, really, I promised my kids I'd be home for dinner. My mom has to go to some dinner, and they don't want to eat alone. Some other time?"  
  
"Of course," Abby said, regaining her composure. "I should get started on the budget reports for this month anyway."  
  
"Then I'm really sorry I can't go. Those things are awful. Well, it's seven o'clock, I better get going."  
  
"Okay. I'd walk out with you, but I have to wait to do rounds with Chen and Dave."  
  
Carter chuckled. "Would you ever imagine it to end up like this? The four of us still here after all of these years? Taking the place of Weaver, Greene, Lewis, ..." Carter trailed off, not wanting to mention the name of Abby's former husband.  
  
"If you would have told me ten years ago that I would have Weaver's job, I probably would have socked you. A lot has changed in the past few years."  
  
"A lot has stayed the same, too. Well, see you tomorrow, Abby."  
###  
"Daddy, Gamma said we get to go to work with you tomorrow."  
  
Carter looked up from his plate of food to look at his daughter. "Just for a little bit. Gamma has to have a meeting with someone at the hospital and you get to stay with me then. And then Friday, we get to go to the zoo."  
  
"Yay, I want to see the monkeys first," Jason announced.   
  
"We'll see if we can do that. How was shopping?"  
  
"Fun, Daddy! We got you a birthday present," Melina explained.  
  
"And I got a football and Mel got a Barbie," Jason added.  
  
"JASON! You weren't supposed to tell, Gamma said."  
  
"It's okay, hon. A football and a Barbie, huh? You'll have to show me after dinner."  
  
"Can we play with the football after dinner, Daddy?" Jason asked.  
  
"We'll see." He couldn't help but notice the forlorn look on Melina's face. He suddenly realized there would be no one to play Barbies with her. Maybe he could talk his mother into it when she got home from her dinner. It was times like these he missed Jamie the most.  
###  
"Arrgh!" Abby screamed out loud. She threw the stack of papers down towards the end of the bed. All of the numbers were running together. She wasn't sure if she could see straight anymore.   
  
Why did she take this job anyway? Because Romano was desperate, and he offered her a large sum of money, she reminded herself. When Carter stepped down as ER Chief when Jamie died, Romano was running around like a chicken with his head cut off. He knew she would accept. Because she was qualified and had no family to slow her down. Carter had his kids, Chen was happily married now, heck, even Dave was happy in love. He and his wife were in the process of adopting a baby girl. That's why, even though she was the least experienced attending, she had gotten the job. *Face it, Abby. I have no life.*  
  
Not that she was proud of that. Divorced twice, because of loveless marriages. Once from Richard, once from Luka. No kids, for fear of what could happen. Her mother died five years ago, her brother still in Florida. The only man seeming to interest her in this whole town didn't seem interested in her.  
  
It was her fault. She had waited too long. By the time she had realized who and what she wanted, and told Luka, Carter announced he and Jamie were pregnant and engaged. Young and giddy and in love. Abby had never had that feeling. She had never known things were moving that fast for them. They had only been going out a few months.  
  
Almost a year, she corrected herself. And this was a few years after he had told her he had feelings. Had she really expected him to wait around for her? No.  
  
She never told him this. Didn't want to spoil his newfound happiness. And now, she thought it was too early to approach him in that manner. It had only been six months since Jamie's death. Or maybe it had been longer. How long had she had this job? Eight months, because according to her notes, she had done eight budget reports. At least eight months.   
  
But he seemed to only want her friendship. He tried to change the subject when she asked about his personal life, or gave minimal answers. Her attempt to ask him out failed.  
  
Or maybe she was just approaching it the wrong way. Maybe he didn't know she felt that way. Oh well, it could wait. But look where waiting got her before?   
  
What Carter needed now was support. Tomorrow, with the surprise she and Dave and Chen worked out for him, he would see that the whole ER was there for him. But especially her.  
###  
I understand that some things are better left unsaid  
I'm afraid of the truth  
But what can I do if I still want you  
###  
End P.2  
### 


	3. Better Left Unsaid?

TITLE: Ten Year's Time  
AUTHOR: Lisa Brown, ERDrLewis@aol.com  
PART: Part 3, Better Left Unsaid?  
ARCHIVE: ask and ye shall receive. Archived at my site, http://er.shh.nu  
CATEGORY: Carter/Abby  
RATING: PG, but later parts may have a harsher rating.  
SPOILERS: "Rampage" and before.  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I haven't written anything in forever. Please give some feedback. =) Inspiration? "If We Could Start Over" by Celine Dion. Words are used throughout the fic. =) Thanks to my Editor, Lucie, whom I forgot to thank in the first 2 openings. So, thank you, thank you, thank you!  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, I'm not making money off of this, so everyone at Warner Bros. and their whole menagerie of people over there can just leave me alone.   
  
Ten Year's Time: Part 3, Better Left Unsaid?  
By Lisa, ERDrLewis@aol.com  
  
###  
I understand that some things are better left unsaid  
I'm afraid of the truth  
But what can I do if I still want you  
###  
"And what do you think the dream told you, John? How did it affect you?" Dr. Meyer tapped her pencil on the side of her notepad.  
  
Carter sighed. He hated this, these sessions with Dr. Meyer. After Jamie had died, his mother had insisted he talk to someone since he had a past that included post-traumatic stress, depression, and drug use. But Carter didn't see how this was making a difference. "I don't know. It didn't affect me. Maybe it was telling me I'm ready to start dating again." An hour, twice a month. Carter had tried to convince Dr. Meyer to cut his sessions down, but she insisted that while he was taking antidepressants, even low dosage, he should see her twice a month. Then Carter had tried to convince her that he didn't need the pills anymore, but she persevered, telling him that he should take them through the year anniversary of his wife's death. Carter could see there was no way he was going to win.  
  
There was a pause. Dr. Meyer scribbled something on her notepad. He knew he shouldn't have told her about the dream. But he didn't know what else they were going to talk about for an hour. "Do you think you're ready to start dating?"  
  
"Maybe." How the hell was he supposed to know? "Aren't you supposed to tell me that?" he said, semi-sarcastically.  
  
Dr. Meyer gave him a deadpanned look. "Is there any reason why you're in a grouchy mood today?"  
  
"No."  
  
From the look on Dr. Meyer's face, she wasn't buying it. She leafed through her notes. "It wouldn't have anything to do with your fortieth birthday being tomorrow, would it?"  
  
Carter paused for a moment. "No," he tried to lie.  
  
"Mhmm," she said with a smile. "So, John, what do you think being forty means?"  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Carter knew Dr. Meyer was in her mid-thirties, much younger than he. Or, it felt like much younger.  
  
"Yeah, I kinda would," she said with a smile. "Do you feel like you're reaching a point in your life where you don't want to be?"  
  
*My god, kill me now.* Carter chose to ignore that question. "I saw a little girl with leukemia yesterday. Well, she was in remission. She was only seven."  
  
"Did that make you uncomfortable?"  
  
"A little," he said truthfully. "I mean ... seven. That's how old Melanie is. I know it's not proven to be genetic, but with it on my side, with my brother, and Jamie's side ... it made me worry."  
  
"That's understandable. Are you getting a lot of stress from work?"  
  
"It's a stressful job. But, I've known that my whole life. It hasn't been any more stressful than usual." Carter looked at his watch. Thankfully, his time was almost up.  
  
"Am I really that bad?" Dr. Meyer asked. Carter could see she was smiling.  
  
"Sorry, but I'm not in the mood for evaluating the John Carter psyche today."  
  
Dr. Meyer raised an eyebrow. "I suppose I'll let you go five minutes early. Have a nice birthday tomorrow, John."  
  
"Thanks. See you in two weeks, I suppose." Carter gave her a smile and walked as fast as he could to the door without Dr. Meyer noticing how fast he wanted to get out.  
###  
"Daddy!"   
  
Carter spun around to see a little girl and boy running to greet him. "Hey guys! How was your morning?"  
  
"Good. We had a big breakfast, we went out to eat," Melina said.   
  
"Wow, Gamma took you? That's really nice of her."  
  
"Hi Dr. Abby!" Jason called out.   
  
"Abby! I didn't know you were on," Carter said.  
  
"Hey Jason, hey Melina," Abby said, giving each child a brief hug. "I'm not, I just forgot some budget papers. They're done on Monday and I'm not close to done."  
  
"You're not staying, Dr. Abby?" Melina asked.  
  
"Nope, I have to go home and get work done. I wish I could stay with you guys!"   
  
"But, your work is here," Jason said.  
  
"I know, but I have to do this work at home."  
  
"It's like homework at school, Jason," Melina said.  
  
"I don't get homework," Jason protested.  
  
"Well, you're very lucky then. You want to come into the lounge with me? I'll turn on the television for you," Abby said.  
  
"Yeah!" Jason said, running off to the lounge with Melina close behind.  
  
"Thanks, Abby," Carter said.  
  
"No problem. Are they here all day?"  
  
"Nope, just while my mom has a meeting upstairs."  
  
"Oh, okay, good," Abby said. They wouldn't affect the plan at all.  
###  
"Lily, have the labs come back on Mr. Johnson yet? We've been waiting for three hours, are they that backed up?" Carter wearily lay the chart down on the desk.  
  
"I'm not sure, Carter, but they're not back yet. I'll go find out," Lily said.   
  
"Thanks, Lily." With that, he proceeded to go to the lounge.  
###  
"Okay, how are we going to make sure he doesn't come in here until his shift's over?" Chen asked.  
  
"I don't know, that's your job, you're the one who's on," Dave replied.   
  
"Just keep him occupied. Did everyone remember everything they were supposed to bring?" Abby asked, seeming somewhat flustered. She wanted this to all work out right.  
  
Dave and Chen looked at each other. Abby must have been trying hard for a reason. "Yeah, everything's here," Chen answered.   
  
Suddenly, Carter burst through the door. "Abby? Dave? What are you guys doing here? You're not on yet."  
  
Abby and Dave exchanged a look. Ut-oh. "I, ya know, just decided to come in a little early and finish up some charts. I'm on in soon anyway."  
  
Abby's eyes widened. That was her excuse! "Yeah, and I have to meet with Romano about the budget."  
  
"I thought the budget reports weren't due until next week," Carter said.  
  
Abby's eyes widened even more. "Yeah, me too, so I hope he doesn't want them!" *My god, Abby, pull it together.*  
  
Carter eyed them skeptically. "You all must be up to something. I'll find out eventually though."  
  
Suddenly, Lily ran into the lounge. "Guys, auto versus pedestrian, we get the ped. ETA 5 minutes."  
  
"Since you all seem to be having a bit of a conference, I'll take it. Lily, can you grab Shane and Brandon and have them meet me outside?"  
  
Lily and Carter left the lounge. "Budget reports?" Dave asked smiling.  
  
"Oh, shut up! *I* was supposed to be doing charts. You caught me off guard. Okay, let's try and get this place ready."  
  
"I can't stay long, since I'm on, but I'll try and send someone back here to help you," Chen said. She and Dave exchanged another look. "Hey, Abby, what's going on with you and Carter?"  
  
Abby spun around. "Carter and me?" she squeaked. "Nothing! Why?"  
  
"You've been acting weird around him. We just thought something might be going on," Dave explained.  
  
Abby could feel her cheeks getting red. "No, of course not. No one brought any tape, I'll go see if Grace has any."  
  
When Abby left the room, Chen and Dave looked at each other and exploded into laughter. "Something is DEFINITELY going on between them. Or at least Abby wants something to be going on between them," Dave said.  
  
"Yeah, remember all those years ago, you could have sworn that they were having an affair? Way back when?"  
  
"Yeah, but Abby was still with Luka. I still tell you Carter's the reason why she dumped him," Dave replied.   
  
"I'll talk to Carter and see if I can get anything out of him. Here, you finish putting this up. I'll go find someone to help you. Abby should be back soon," Chen said, handing him the paper letters. She ran into Abby and Chuni on the way back in. "Chuni, I was just going to find you! Dave needs some help. I'll go keep Carter occupied."  
  
She walked out into the admit area. "Lily, do you know where Carter is?"  
  
"We just finished the trauma, I'm not sure where he went off to. But will you take him Mr. Johnson's labs?"  
  
"Sure." She grabbed the papers and walked off in search of Carter. She found him in Exam Two with Mr. Johnson.  
  
"They really should be here any time now, Mr. Johnson," Carter was explaining.  
  
"Looking for these?" Chen asked, holding up the labs.  
  
Carter smiled. "Thanks."  
  
"Can I talk to you a minute when you're done?" Chen asked him.  
  
"Sure," Carter said, looking a bit puzzled. Chen walked outside the room while he discussed Mr. Johnson's labs.  
  
"Hey, everything okay?" Carter asked when he walked outside.  
  
"Yeah, I was just hoping we could take a little walk. There's something I wanted to ask you."  
  
Carter looked extremely puzzled now, but followed Chen as she led him outside. "Is this about what you and Dave and Abby were talking about in the lounge?"  
  
"No, not really," Chen said. She stopped to lean up against the wall of the hospital. "Carter, is there anything going on with you and Abby?"  
  
"Abby and me? No, why? Are there rumors about us going around?" Carter said, leaning next to her.  
  
"No. But I've just noticed she's been acting a little funny around you lately."  
  
Carter thought to himself for a moment. "Now that you mention it, she has. She's been a bit jumpy. I never thought of it though. She asked me to grab a cup of coffee yesterday and got all flustered when I said I had to be home."  
  
Chen's eyes grew. Dave *was* right. "Hmm, like a date?"  
  
"No, just coffee. It might have been a date," Carter said, a look of realization on his face.  
  
"Mhmm. Just like I thought. Ask her out, Carter."  
  
He turned to her. "What?!?"  
  
"Ask her out. She's giving you all the signs." Chen paused. "Assuming you want to go out with her."  
  
"I ... I never really thought about it," Carter said slowly.  
  
"You think she's pretty?"  
  
Carter gulped. "Gorgeous. But --"  
  
"Nice?"  
  
"Yeah, but --"  
  
"Enjoy her company?"  
  
Carter had given up on trying to protest. He sighed. "Yes."  
  
"Then what are you waiting for? Two people that want to go out with each other, but no one wants to make the first move. And she won't. Not for a while. Because she's not sure if you're ready after ..." Chen trailed off.  
  
"Yeah, but ... what if I'm not ready?" Carter asked, his eyes questioning.  
  
"Don't you have a psychiatrist to tell you this?" Chen asked, remembering his morning appointment. "Carter, if you're not sure, then you're definitely ready. She's not going to rush you. She's not going to propose on the first date."  
  
"Yeah ... yeah. I'm ready. Thanks, Deb."  
  
Chen smiled. He was still the only one besides her husband she let call her Deb. "No problem. Now, get out of here! It's after six, you're off."  
  
Carter smiled and walked back inside to get his stuff.  
  
"Carter, Dr. Lockhart's looking for you in the lounge," Grace, the receptionist, said.   
  
"Hey, thanks," he said. Good. He could ask her then. He paused for a second to look around the admit desk. It looked different. He suddenly realized that there wasn't the usually buzz of people around it. Doctors, nurses, no one was there. "Hmm." He ignored it and walked into the lounge.  
  
He opened the door and realized where all of the people were.  
  
"SURPRISE!" He looked around. Almost everyone who worked in the ER was there. Shifts were changing, so it would have been easy to round everyone up.  
  
"Happy Birthday Carter!" they all screamed.  
  
A smile erupted on Carter's face. "Thanks guys. Who's responsible for all this?" He looked over at Abby, Dave, and Chen, who had snuck in behind him.   
  
Dave started to explain. "It was Abby's idea. Chen and I helped her put it all together. Brandon brought the cake and plastic silverware, Grace brought punch, and the nurses got the decorations," he said, pointing behind him. There were letters spelling out "HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARTEB" hanging up.  
  
"Carteb?" Carter asked.  
  
"Okay, which one of you forgot to cut the 'B' into an 'R'?" Dave asked. Everyone laughed. "We only got two R's," he explained.  
  
"It's great, it really is," Carter said. He could tell they spent a lot of time on the party.  
  
"Alright, man, you get to cut the cake," Dave said, handing him the plastic cake cutter.  
  
Carter cut cake for everyone, talked, ate drank punch. Eventually, the people who were off trickled out and the people who were on were called to duty. He and Abby were left to clean up.  
  
"Are you sure they don't need you out there?" Carter asked.  
  
"Nah, it's kinda slow. You shouldn't have to stay and clean up, it's your party," Abby said.  
  
"What, and leave you here all alone? Here, can you help me with this banner?" Carter asked.  
  
"Sure." Abby jumped on a chair to help him take down the banner. Carter jumped on the chair next to her.   
  
"Don't fall off now," Carter warned. They both reached for the same piece of tape. Carter laughed and turned towards her. He stopped laughing when he realized how close her face was to his. Their eyes locked. "Abby?"  
  
"Mhmm?" she asked.  
  
"There's been something I've been meaning to ask you ..." *Should I?* he asked his mind. Well, it was either ask her or kiss her. He leaned in closer.  
  
The door suddenly swung open. "Abby --" Chuni said, but stopped when she saw the pair.  
  
"Wha --?" Abby swiveled around in the chair, not realizing that there was nowhere for her feet to go. She promptly fell to the ground.  
  
"Abby?" Carter asked, jumping off the floor to help her up.  
  
"You okay, hon.?" Chuni said between laughs. "We've got a trauma coming in in ten minutes, Dave wanted me to get you." She left the lounge laughing.  
  
Carter tried to stifle his laughter. He finally couldn't hold it in any longer. "I'm sorry, are you okay?" He was still laughing when he said it.  
  
At first Abby looked hurt, then she joined in his laughter. "It is kinda funny," she said. "I'll be fine, just some bumps and bruises. You ... you, ah, said you wanted to ask me something?"  
  
Carter smiled. "It can wait. Duty calls."  
  
Abby looked puzzled. *Oh, right, Chuni said something about a trauma ...* "Yeah. Well, have a good birthday tomorrow."  
  
"I will. And thanks for the party and everything," Carter said, smiling. Abby smiled back. Some things were better left unsaid.  
###  
End P.3  
### 


	4. Faced With the Past

TITLE: Ten Year's Time  
AUTHOR: Lisa Brown, ERDrLewis@aol.com  
PART: Part 4, Faced With the Past.  
ARCHIVE: ask and ye shall receive. Archived at my site, http://er.shh.nu  
CATEGORY: Carter/Abby  
RATING: PG-13, but later parts may have a harsher rating.  
SPOILERS: "Rampage" and before.  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This part is a bit awkward. But, Carter and Abby are at an awkward stage. Inspiration? "If We Could Start Over" by Celine Dion. Words are used throughout the fic. =) Thanks to my Editor, Lucie, whom I forgot to thank in the first 2 openings. So, thank you, thank you, thank you!  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, I'm not making money off of this, so everyone at Warner Bros. and their whole menagerie of people over there can just leave me alone.   
  
Ten Year's Time: Part 4, Faced With the Past.  
by Lisa, ERDrLewis@aol.com   
  
###  
For so many years now  
I've held inside things I meant to say  
But faced with the past now I realize  
I can't let that stand in our way  
###  
  
By the time Abby's shift ended Friday morning, everyone knew about Chuni interrupting her and Carter in the lounge the night before. By the time of her next shift, Saturday morning, the rumors were flying. The story just kept growing. She and Carter were passionately lip-locked on top of the table. She and Carter had been found on top of each other with their shirts off. She and Carter were having wild sex in the ladies' room. Whether that was an entirely different rumor, or a misconception of the first, Abby wasn't sure. But, Abby was pretty sure who to thank.  
  
By Monday, she had had enough. She hadn't seen Carter since Thursday night, but apparently they had been caught in flagrante on the roof. "Chuny, could I see you in the lounge for a moment please?" She pursed her lips together for a smile.  
  
"Uh ... sure, Dr. Lockhart."  
  
Abby turned on her heel and walked to the lounge. On her way there, she mustered up her dominant look on her face. The 'I'm in charge, so you better listen' face. The 'I don't really care, you're going to heed what I say' face. Carter called it "Weaveresque." He also laughed every time he saw it. Hopefully, it would have a better effect on Chuny.  
  
The lounge was empty. *Excellent.* "Chuny, I'm pretty sure you're aware of the state you found Carter and I in after his party, right?"  
  
"Umm ... yeah," Chuny said slowly.  
  
"Could you care to remind me? Because I've heard so many 'states' I'm quite confused."  
  
"I think you were --"  
  
"You know what? It doesn't matter. Now, I can't speak for Dr. Carter, on the account that I haven't seen him since *Thursday,*" she said, emphasizing that, "but I can speak for myself. And this is getting out of hand. You may not have started every rumor flying around, but you certainly got the ball rolling. I would certainly appreciate your help in stopping these rumors. Because, not only is it none of your damn business, it's not professional. I try to run a decent ER, here, okay? Understood? And do not forget, I have a yearly budgeting meeting with Romano today and I WAS going to try and get higher nurses' salaries ... but if all my nurses do is stand around and gossip ...."  
  
"Uh, no, I understand, Dr. Lockhart! I'll go start right now." Chuny flashed an apologetic smile.   
  
"That's the spirit, Chuny!" Abby walked over and poured herself a cup of coffee.   
  
Damn.   
  
That felt GOOD.  
  
She made a mental note to add "gets to yell at people and boss them around" to her job perks while stirring in a pack of sugar.   
  
"Hey, Abby."  
  
She looked up to see Carter standing there.  
  
"Uh, hi Carter! How was your birthday?" she asked before taking a sip of coffee. She felt her cheeks getting pink. She wasn't sure if it was because of the rumors or the fact that he looked so damn sexy in those suspenders. She regarded it as the latter, and forced herself to pay attention to his face.  
  
"Good," he said walking over to his locker. "Hey, before I hear it from someone else, have we had any more wild sex lately?"  
  
Abby almost choked on her coffee. She looked up and saw the twinkle in his eye. At least he had a sense of humor about it. "Yeah, I heard Grace telling Brandon and Chuny about us up on the roof last night. And from what I hear, it was pretty hot." *My god, Abby, you did NOT just say that.*  
  
Carter smiled. "Good. Because, no offense, but I can't recall a damn thing about being up on the roof with you last night. I thought I was having dinner with my kids."  
  
Abby was about to say something, but she looked over to the lounge door and quickly saw Grace's face disappear from the window. "Hold on," she said, walking over to the door. She opened it to find half of the staff that was on crowded around it. She cleared her throat. They all jumped away from the door. "And to think, I TRY to run an ER here!" she said loudly. "Come into the lounge, stay out of the lounge, but do not hover around the door like idiots, please! Don't you all have work to do?" she said before slamming the door.  
  
"Ooh, Alpha-bitch Abby. I think I like that," Carter said.  
  
"I'll keep that in mind." *JESUS! What has gotten into you today, Abby?*  
  
Carter chuckled and looked towards the ground. Abby could swear he was blushing. "Hey, what time are you off? Eight?"  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"Well, my car is in the shop, and my mom took the kids out for the whole day. I was wondering if I could hitch a ride home with you. If it's a problem, I can just take the El."  
  
"What? No Carter family limo to pick you up?" Abby said, grinning.  
  
"No, Mom didn't like their service, so we don't --" Carter looked up. *She was JOKING, Carter.* "Ah, no. No limo. Is it any trouble?"  
  
"Of course not. Now, we better get to work before we start having some more of that wild sex again. From what I hear, it's pretty much all we do."  
###  
It had been a hard shift. Long and lots of patients, and Abby's budget meeting with Romano did not go as well as planned. Carter and Abby decided to drown their day in large cups of coffee and bad, greasy food from Doc Magoo's. They had just sat down at a booth, when Chen walked in.   
  
"Hey guys! Just get off?" she said, walking up to the table.   
  
"Yeah. You pulling the graveyard?" Carter asked.  
  
"Mhmm. I decided I had better try and get something to eat before I'm on."  
  
"Care to join us? We just got here," Abby said.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Don't worry, Deb, contrary to popular belief, we're not going to jump on the table and start going at it," Carter said, motioning for her to sit.  
  
"Oh, god, Carter, don't add fuel to the fire. Next thing we know that'll be going around."  
  
Chen laughed. "Hey, at least you guys have a sense of humor about it."  
  
"Yeah, well, I tried to bribe Chuny today to get her to help stop the rumors, but that did no good," Abby said, mindlessly stirring her coffee.  
  
"No, I heard her telling Shane to can it once today. She's trying," Carter said, hoping it would cheer Abby up.   
  
"Really? Good. She should be."  
  
The waitress came and took their orders and the three made small talk until their food arrived. Eventually, Chen had to go to work and Abby and Carter headed home.  
  
The ride to Carter's was a silent one. Abby was trying to remember if she had ever been to Carter's parents' house. She knew she had gone to a reception after Jamie's funeral there, but she never recalled going inside. It was held outside, and she remembered only staying a short while. There was no guarantee that she would see the inside of the mansion tonight anyway.  
  
Carter hoped Abby knew the way to his place, because he sure wasn't paying attention to the road. He was paying attention to Abby. Her hair had grown out, just below her shoulders. This was the length when she usually seemed to cut it back to it's normal shortness. Carter much preferred this length. Her deep brown eyes were intently staring at the road.   
  
"Am I going the right way?"  
  
Carter sharply spun his head around to see where the were. "Yeah, up here you'll make a left, then a right," he said. Finally, they were there.  
  
"Do you want to come in for a while?" Carter asked.   
  
"Sure. I don't think I've actually ever been inside of the Carter mansion."  
  
Carter raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'll have to give you the nickel tour then!"  
  
Abby laughed. "I think it's more than a nickel tour."  
  
They walked up to the door after parking the car. Carter put a key in the door, and once inside turned of the security alarm.   
  
"What? No butler to answer the door? Getting cheap on me, are you, Carter?" Abby smiled at him.  
  
"Well ..." Carter said, pausing for a moment. "If you really must know ... the butler is on vacation."  
  
Abby burst into laughter. "You're kidding, right? The day I visit, the butler's on vacation. What other kind of help you have here?"  
  
Carter smiled. He always hated the fact that his family had money, because he always felt pretentious talking about it. "Just a cook, because no one in my family can cook. We're missing that gene, I suppose. But she always leaves by eight."  
  
"I see. So, did you say something about a tour?" Abby asked, her eyes sparking.  
  
Carter took the liberty of showing her around. Abby seemed amazed at everything. The size of the kitchen, the number of bedrooms. By the time that they had reached the third floor, where he, Melina, and Jason had their rooms, Carter was feeling mighty pretentious. "My parents were actually using it as an attic of sorts until we moved in. It's nice, because it's small and a bit isolated from the rest of the house." He showed her the children's rooms, and finally they reached the room at the end of the hall.  
  
"This must be your room," Abby said, pointing to the closed door.   
  
"Uh, yeah. Let me see if it's decent. I wasn't expecting company."  
  
He walked in and shut the door partway. Abby leaned forward and peered through the narrow crack between the door and the wall. She saw Carter frantically gathering clothes and shoving them in the closed. She chuckled and stepped back from the door.  
  
Suddenly, Carter flew the door open. "Decent?" Abby asked.  
  
Carter smiled apologetically. "Yep." He stepped back from the doorframe to let Abby in.   
  
Abby noticed it was remarkably smaller than the children's rooms. It was most definitely the smallest room in the house. A mahogany bed, dresser, and nightstand took up most of the room. Abby could see a small bathroom off to the side, and a small closet on the other side. She couldn't understand why Carter would choose this room to stay in out of the many he had to choose from. It was bothering her so much, she asked him.  
  
"You'll have to remember the state of mind I was in when I moved here. This room was furthest away from civilization, so to speak. I didn't necessarily want a huge, bright room. This would do," Carter said, sitting down on the bed. "Also, while my family may be rich, I, most certainly, am not. I don't want a huge culture shock when we move out. If we move out." Carter aimlessly traced his finger over the pattern of his bedspread.  
  
"You're actually considering living with your parents for the rest of your life?" Abby said, cocking her head and sitting down next to him.  
  
"Yeah, well, while it's just me and the kids, it's almost easier to stay here. So, until that changes," he said looking over at Abby. "That reminds me," he said, clearing his throat. "Abby, there's been something I've been meaning to ask you ..."  
  
"Yes?" She looked into his eyes, trying to find clues to what this mysterious question was. He looked unbelievably nervous.   
  
"I was wondering ..." Carter started. The words would not come out of his mouth. "Ah," he said, breaking eye contact and looking down at the bedspread he was still aimlessly tracing.   
  
*I should kiss him,* Abby thought. She wasn't sure why she got the sudden urge to kiss him. Maybe it was those darn suspenders again. But, she knew she was going to do it. She cupped his chin to raise his face once again to eye level.   
  
Carter remembered his earlier dilemma *Ask her or kiss her.* He decided he was going to go for kiss her once again. But he would actually accomplish his task this time.  
  
Both leaned forward and lips met. Before Carter knew it, Abby was on top of him unbuttoning his shirt and kissing the trail her hands left behind. And all Carter could think of was how good it felt. It had been a long time, too long. As he put his head back, his eye caught a glimpse of a picture sitting on his nightstand. Of he and his kids. They were going to be home any minute. *Oh, shit.*  
  
"Abby, wait!" he said. She looked up at him. "We ... we can't do this. Not now, not like this."  
  
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Oh. Of course not. It's too soon, I knew it was."  
  
"Abby, that's not --"  
  
She got up and began to straighten her clothes. "Shh, shh, you don't have to explain, Carter, I understand. I'll just go. Yeah. I'll show myself out." She turned and walked out the door.  
  
"Abby, wait." Carter got to his feet and tried to fix his clothes as he followed her. But she was too fast for him, and already downstairs by the time he got to the stairwell. Hearing the door open, he turned the corner to see that it was not Abby who had opened the door.  
  
"Hi, Dr. Abby!" he heard Melina exclaim. "What are you doing here?"  
  
*Shit,* thought Carter. He ran back to his room to make sure he looked presentable for his family.  
  
"Hi Melina, Jason, Mrs. Carter. I just gave your daddy a ride home. He was just looking for some papers upstairs for me. But I have to go, so can you tell him he can just give them to me tomorrow?" Abby said, smiling.  
  
"Sure, Dr. Abby," Melina answered.   
  
"Bye-bye, Dr. Abby," Jason said.   
  
Abby put on a smile and said her good-byes before walking to her car. *God, Abby, why did you do that? You knew he wasn't ready. It was too soon,* she thought to herself as she unlocked the car door. Although she was leaving all hot and bothered, she knew it was for the best. She put the key in the ignition and drove off, playing the radio loudly to try and help her forget what might have been.  
  
Finally fully dressed, Carter ran back downstairs. "Hi guys!" he said, seeing his children and mother.  
  
"Hi, Daddy. Dr. Abby left. She said to give her the papers tomorrow."  
  
For a second, his face fell. She was gone already. He wouldn't get to explain. And the night most certainly would not end up as he had thought it would five minutes ago. Well, he couldn't worry about that right now. "Ah, okay. Thanks, Mel. Did you guys have a good day?" Hopefully, that would make him forget. At least for now.  
###  
Carter turned over for the umpteenth time to see what time it was. The red numbers stood out in the dark -- 11:18. Since he wasn't getting any sleep, he sat up in bed. He knew why he couldn't fall asleep. It was her.  
  
As he wandered down the stairs, he could see a light on in the library. Going in to turn it off, he saw a figure curled up in the chair.   
  
"Mom! You scared me," Carter said.  
  
"Sorry. I couldn't sleep. And from the looks of it, you couldn't either." Mrs. Carter placed her bookmark in her book and looked up at her son.  
  
"Yeah ... I just thought I'd run those papers over to Abby now," Carter said, somewhat distracted.  
  
Mrs. Carter smiled. "Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked, pointing to his hands, which were empty.   
  
"Ah ... yeah, they must be still in my room," Carter said, stumbling over words.  
  
Mrs. Carter softly chuckled. "You don't want to go see Abby about papers, do you John?"  
  
"No," he replied. "I've been trying to ask her out, but --"  
  
Mrs. Carter held up a hand. "No need to explain to me, John. But, if you're going over to her house late at night to ask her out, you might want to rethink your wardrobe."  
  
Carter looked down and saw himself still dressed in his sweatpants and tee shirt. "Yeah, I should probably go change."  
  
Mrs. Carter smiled. "I'll go up to my room to read, so you don't think I'm waiting up for you. See you in the morning, dear."  
  
"Good night, Mom. And thanks."  
  
Mrs. Carter just smiled at him as she headed up the stairs. Over the years, his mother had become more understanding and ... motherly. Like Gamma was. He liked that.  
  
When he got to his room, he opened his closet, searching through it to find something to wear. What would one wear to go seduce a woman? He wasn't necessarily seducing her, he reminded himself, he was just going to ask her out. Right? He sighed, and finally pulled out a pair of khaki pants and a casual blue shirt. He looked at the clock. It was already after eleven-thirty, it would be midnight by the time he got to Abby's. He didn't really think she would care what he was wearing.  
###  
Abby yawned and looked at the clock. Just after midnight. She reasoned that she really should try and get some sleep, since she was on at six. But she would think about *him.* She picked up the remote and flipped through the channels once more. Infomercial. Talk show. Infomercial. Old reruns of Law & Order. News. Grainy triple bypass surgery. Power off. Abby sighed. She gathered her blanket up and began to make her way to her bed. Suddenly, there was a knocking on the door. Who would be coming over this late?  
  
She walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. "Carter?" she said. What was he doing here? She opened the door. Sure enough, it was him. "Hi," she said, a somewhat puzzled look on her face.  
  
"Hi," he said. "Sorry it's so late. Can I come in?"  
###  
End P.4  
### 


End file.
